Summary: This is the story of a little boy who antagonizes his little sister and one day is caught by his grandfather. The grandfather tells him that his actions “empty his sister’s bucket”. The boy wakes up the next day puzzled about the concept of a bucket but soon understands the lesson his grandfather was teaching him. His day begins with a series of negative interactions but it soon turns around and the boy realizes that his bucket is filled through kindness which is much better than hurt negative behavior generates.

Literary elements at work in the story: The story is told from the point of view of the little boy. The characters in the story all have buckets hanging over their head at various stages of fullness which will help children better understand the concept. The characters display very typical actions and emotions and will be easily recognized

Perspective on gender, race, culture, economic, ability: The book is multi-racial as well as multi-ethnic and the interactions are very positive

Scripture: Matthew 7:12: “Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get.” The Message

Theology: The story is about life together in a community that builds each other up rather than tears us down.

Faith-talk questions:

Do people ever pick on you? How does it feel?

What was the last thing you did for someone that you think made them feel good? How did it make you feel?